


A Friendship Mended

by orphan_account



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:33:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is sort-of based on the following ASOIAF kinkmeme prompt.</p>
<p>They barely talk for two months after their horrible blow up when Cat asks Ned about Ashara being Jon's mother, and in that time Ned never visited her chambers either. Tired of being alone, Cat decides she's going to try to make things work. Not wanting to seem to have given in or being too forward, she consults Maester Luwin about aphrodisiacs to slip into Ned's food and drink. Ned's visits go from weekly, to every other night, to every night. After a while she stops using them and to her surprise Ned still shows up every night. </p>
<p>Bonus if Ned gets really wild in bed and is completely oblivious to why he's losing control over his body.</p>
<p>Close enough, at least.  ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friendship Mended

_Two moons,_ Catelyn thought, and she sighed. One simple question, one she still believed she had had every right to ask, and her lord husband could ignore her for _two moons_ in response. Ned Stark was not by any standards a loquacious man, but even still the difference between his usual silence and his current silence was so glaring that it reduced his wife to anxious tears more often than she was willing to admit. Even worse, he no longer came to her in the evenings, not even for the brief, dutiful couplings that had marked their earliest days in Winterfell, when she was still smarting at the initial insult his bastard had been. Silence Catelyn might have let pass unnoticed – _words are wind_ – but it had to require great anger and disdain with his wife to keep her husband from doing his duty to Winterfell. Really, enough was enough. It had been a simple question, the answer to which would not have changed anything except his wife’s own curiosity! It was not as if she would have insisted on the boy’s being shipped off to Dorne, had Ned said yes. She just wanted to know. He could not justly fault her for that. Even now, righteous indignation bubbled up inside her at the memory, but she forced it down. They could not go on like this. It was childish. It was impractical. And she missed him.

She did miss him, she realized, as she undressed for bed alone yet again. Though she was mistress of the castle, she really spoke often only with Ned, Benjen, Robb, Maester Luwin, and her own handmaiden, Jenny. And since Robb was too young, yet, to speak much, and her goodbrother had become recently quite distant, Catelyn found her days were now startlingly quiet and lonely. It was time to make up with Ned, that she might again have an adult companion who was not paid to serve her – and that she might again have the warm body of her husband in her arms at night. She still flushed to think of it, but she had grown accustomed to lying with Ned in the time since she had come to Winterfell, and spending all her nights alone now felt unbearably lonely and frustrating. As she called to mind the memory of his strong arms, his urgent movements, his heavy breathing, Catelyn felt her whole body ache in bereavement and need. She simply could not allow them to go on like this. But nor could she go to him with her tail between her legs, admitting defeat and asking his forgiveness for something she maintained did not need forgiving. No, he would have to be the one to come to her, although enough time had passed that she no longer needed his apology. Catelyn did not think it would be so very difficult, for as unpleasant as she found it to go two moons without lying with her husband, she was sure that Ned was feeling keenly that he had gone two moons without bedding his wife. And surely Maester Luwin could suggest something that would make him feel it even more keenly, that would make it nigh on impossible for him to go on comfortably without visiting her bed.

Satisfied at the thought that these impossible circumstances could not and would not go on forever, Cat finished her nighttime toilet and climbed into bed. She could almost see Ned lying next to her already.

The next morning she found Maester Luwin even before she broke her fast. She had become rather fond of Winterfell’s maester, and judging by the way he smiled as he said, “Lady Stark,” and nodded his head, he was fond of her as well – or at least he approved of her.

“Good morning,” she said, smiling back and trying to quell the fluttering in her stomach. “Maester, I was wondering – that is to say, I was curious – do you know of any herbs, or potions, or…I don’t know, something…that might make a man more desirous of lying with a woman?” Suddenly the smile disappeared from his face, and his gaze became severe.

“Lady Stark, I know that you and Lord Stark have not been cordial of late, but I certainly cannot help you to betray him. And I am surprised. I had thought better of you.” Catelyn was confused a moment and then felt her ears redden.

“Oh – no, Maester Luwin. You mistake me. I wanted something for Lord Stark, himself.” The maester raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“My lady, Lord Stark is a healthy young man, and you are a lovely young woman. Surely he does not require anything extra to want to lie with you.”

“He is angry with me,” she said softly. “It has been nine weeks since he last came to me. It was the only thing I could think of.”

“You could try speaking with him, Lady Stark,” Luwin offered gently.

“He would expect an apology,” she replied dully. “I am not willing to give him one. I did not do wrong, and am not sorry. All I did was ask if Ashara Dayne were the mother of Jon Snow. It is the only time I have ever tried to ask him of the bastard, and I never will again if this is his response, but I refuse to believe that there is anything wrong with a wife’s wanting the name of the woman whose son her husband has brought home and claimed as his own.” Maester Luwin hesitated now, his face softening.

“I agree,” he told her. “And as to your request – my lady, you might try adding sage, saffron, or sarsaparilla to his dish at mealtimes. Though I’m not sure if any will be as effective as lowering the necks of your dresses.” Catelyn smiled at that and took the proffered herbs.

“I think I shall try all four,” she said warmly, wondering as she did how long it would take Jenny to adjust the necklines of the grey Stark gowns she knew Ned liked to see her wear. The one she had on at the moment laced in front, so her task was simple. As soon as she had taken leave of the maester and returned to her chamber, she unlaced and re-laced her bodice until she was satisfied that she was revealing enough of her bosom to pique her husband’s interest, even in his anger. Then she went to the kitchens to see about his food.

She waited that night in her chambers in careful dishabille, hardly daring to breathe, half hoping wildly that he would come to her and half convinced that the whole endeavor was a silly one. When she heard a knock her heart leapt.

“Come in,” she called, fumbling with her nightshift in an attempt to make it appear more alluring. The door opened, and Ned stepped in, looking a little uncertain.

“Good evening, Lady Stark,” he said politely, and Catelyn winced slightly at the address until she chanced a glance at his breeches and realized he was already hard.

“Good evening,” she replied evenly, tossing her hair back behind her shoulders so that it glimmered in the candlelight. Ned’s gaze followed its every movement and Catelyn found herself even more eager for his attention.

“Are you well tonight?” he asked somewhat stiffly. She nodded in reply.

“Very well, my lord,” she told him, moving back against the pillows of her bed to make room for him when he came to join her. Still he hung back, barely beyond the doorframe, waiting, perhaps, she thought, for an invitation.

“Did you want to stay awhile?” Catelyn inquired modestly.

“I would like that, yes.”

“You are welcome to.” She felt her body tingle pleasantly as her husband’s eyes raked over her form, and the physical longing became almost overpowering as she saw the hunger in his face.

He came to her then and made short work of her nightshift so that she lay naked on the furs of her bed. Once she was divested of her clothing he turned to his own, and soon Catelyn found herself looking on the lean, muscled, and decidedly aroused body of her husband.

Ned took her gently but urgently, and swiftly, leaving behind a not entirely unpleasant soreness when he finished and rolled off her, still panting slightly.

“I did not mean to peak so soon,” he said, guilt lacing his voice. “Forgive me, my lady.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” she assured him. “It has been a long while.”

“Still. I would have you find your pleasure as well.” He paused. “Might I help you now?”

She considered, and for a moment the thought of his fingers or his mouth between her legs sounded quite wonderful, but in the end it was not what she wanted.

“Not tonight,” she said finally. “I am rather tired. But I should be glad of it another night, my lord.” He nodded.

“If you are certain.” He still sounded guilty, but secretly Catelyn thrilled to the fact that he had wanted her so badly and enjoyed her so much that their coupling had been brief. It was not much, but it was a start. It was not everything, but surely it was something to have his desire again.

“I am,” she insisted, placing a soft kiss on his shoulder to underscore her words.

“Very well,” he said quietly, and after another few long moments he rose and began to dress himself, that he might return to his own room.

“Thank you, Catelyn,” he said, pausing at the door. She laughed gaily at the formality.

“Ned, I am your wife. You do not need to thank me for sharing my bed with you. And for that matter, you do not need to call me ‘Lady Stark’ when we are alone.” He did not quite laugh, but his lip did twitch a little.

“I shall do my best,” he finally said, and then grinned. She grinned back, feeling lighter and happier as he left her room than she had in the nine weeks prior.

He came to her again a few days later, this time hardly waiting until she had retired.

“Gods, Catelyn, you looked well today,” he told her, his eyes lingering on the lowered neckline of her silver-grey gown. She smiled.

“Did you think so? I am glad to hear it.”

“I could barely keep myself from looking at you all through evening meal, thinking only of you rather than of the food or the wine.” He paused and smiled at her. “You are very beautiful, my lady.” Catelyn felt her face warm in pleasure. Ned smiled rarely, but the few he granted her were precious and gave her hope for this life, this family, this man whom she wanted so badly to love. She stepped toward him, then, closing the distance between them and turning her face up that he might kiss her, and he didn’t let her down. His lips were soft but firm and moved with carefully but barely restrained passion. One arm caught about her waist and pulled her closer, and the other reached up to her hair, which was still braided, but in the Northern fashion, thank the gods. The feeling of his fingers tugging at her scalp – so similar to when Lysa had tried to run a comb through her tangled hair after they’d been swimming in the Trident – was oddly stirring in a way that her sister’s touch had never been, and she found herself twisting and arching, trying to get more of it.

“You like that,” Ned said with quiet surprise, and Catelyn’s “Yes” was rather breathless. He tugged harder in response, scraping his fingernails and the rough pads of his fingers against her head, inducing her to wriggle against him a bit helplessly. He had come to her hard already once again, and the feeling of him pressing into her hip sparked a sharp wanting inside her that made her moan.

“Touch me, Ned,” she asked him softly. His grey eyes widened slightly but he obeyed, turning her in his arms so that he could unlace her dress. He removed it quickly, and for a moment she was cold as the garment pooled at her feet, but then he was touching her and cold was the last thing on her mind. Catelyn closed her eyes against the feeling of his hands on her bare back and gasped when they moved forward to cup her breasts, arching her back to feel him more firmly against her. He held her close, and then his cock was pressing against her bottom in a decidedly stimulating way that made her want to push back.

“Catelyn,” he breathed hot on her neck. She smiled and, turning again, reached to his shoulders for leverage so that she could kiss him again, pushing at his clothing as she did. His mouth was warm and urgent, fueling rather than fulfilling her desire, and though it was he who had been drugged it was she who opened her mouth deeper, who tugged his breeches and smallclothes down, who pulled him back with her toward to the bed and clung to him, entwining her legs with his. Her eagerness seemed to spur him on as his lips moved from her mouth down her body, suckling at her nipples until they ached and then moving farther until she could barely breathe from anticipation. Each warm breath he exhaled against her belly drove her closer and closer to desperation.

“Ned, please,” she said, finally, with some difficulty. He gave her a carnivorous smile in reply before lowering his mouth to her flesh. The feel of his tongue, soft but firm and warm and wet against her most sensitive places was almost too much to bear, but it was also too good to ask him to stop. Catelyn felt her breathing grow shallower and shallower as Ned steadily drove her higher and higher, and she clutched at his shoulders, helplessly in need of something solid to hold on to.

“Yes,” she gasped, a pleading note to her voice as she gripped him harder. “Yes, please, don’t stop, please, Ned…”

He didn’t stop. Of course he didn’t. Of all the accusations she could lodge against her husband, wavering in his tasks was not one of them, and tonight he seemed determined to make her see stars. She came apart in an endless release of coiled tension, but just as she began to take the first deep breaths she’d had in quite some time he was teasing her again, and she was climbing and crashing and shuddering and moaning her pleasure again, feeling her whole body relax into satiated euphoria.

“I…” Catelyn mumbled, reaching for him as she struggled to find her voice. “You. I, that, um…my…lord…” Ned chuckled at her fluster but obediently came back up so that she could press her fingers into the hard muscles of his shoulders and feel his hips buck involuntarily against her, his cock sliding against her leg in such a manner that she swore she could imagine perfectly the feel of his entering her. She rose on her tiptoes to kiss his neck and heard him curse quietly and thrust himself against her when she did. Luckily, too, that that was enough, because her body felt rather boneless and languid, and Catelyn was simply not certain that she would be able to please her husband if doing so required anything complicated or acrobatic on her part.

Ned seemed to guess her exhaustion, though, for he carefully and suddenly lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed on which he laid her down gently. She looked up into his eyes to see tenderness mixed in with desire, and her heart soared at the sight. He had looked at her so, once and again, before she’d asked about Lady Ashara, but she had not seen such care in his face in a long time. Her own face broke into a soft smile, and she nodded her head.

“Take me,” she said quietly, her hands moving along his sides in gentle encouragement. Ned did take her then, slipping inside her with a moan and a sigh. Though he was considerate as always, his need was obvious, and Catelyn realized keenly the desire he’d pushed aside to see to her own pleasure. She pressed her lips into his neck again and dug her nails into his back as he moved, encouraging him. He pushed into her only a few more times before his voice broke and, shuddering, he laid his head against her breast.

“You are extraordinary, my lady,” he murmured as his heart and breath began to slow. She smiled a little, to herself, as she took her turn to rake her fingers through his hair. Ned sighed in pleasure at her touch.

“Mmm,” he said drowsily. “I see why you like that.” Catelyn chuckled a little.

“We are not so different from puppies and kittens, I suppose. It is nice to be petted.” He pulled his head up to look at her face.

“It is nice to be touched,” he agreed, before lying back down, his head against the pillow this time. In that moment Catelyn recognized the sad, lonely face of the boy she had married – the boy who, far from having fathered a bastard on some unnamed woman, had just lost nearly all his family and taken to wife a girl he’d scarcely met in a fruitless quest to get some of it back. She was not sure what bothered him, but she was positive it did, and perhaps there was something she could do about it.

“Ned?” she ventured timidly. He hummed in response.

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

“If you wish, my lady,” he agreed politely, but Catelyn had known her husband just a little bit too long not to recognize the relief in his voice.

“Thank you,” she replied, drawing her body closer to Ned’s and reaching for the blankets to cover them both. As she settled against him, sleep fast approaching, with the candles extinguished and the sheets and blankets carefully arranged, she heard his voice speak out suddenly in the dark.

“Benjen plans to leave.”

“Hmm?” she asked drowsily.

“My baby brother,” Ned repeated, quietly. “The last of my siblings. He plans to leave Winterfell for the Wall.” Catelyn said nothing for a moment, stunned, and then she remembered Benjen’s distance of late, and it began to make sense.

“It is a noble thing, to man the Wall. To guard the North,” she said softly.

“Yes,” he agreed, bitterness now creeping into his voice. “And I am proud of it. Proud, to be the Warden of the North. Proud, that my little brother seeks to defend the North as well, as generations of our family have done before him. But, Catelyn, my parents are dead. Brandon is dead. Lyanna is dead. And now, when the war is over and the dying has stopped, Benjen decides to renounce his family name and claim the Night’s Watch for his brothers instead of me.”

“Oh, Ned,” she sighed, wrapping an arm around his waist and holding her husband close. “I am sure he does not mean it like that. He does not think to leave you alone, not when you have a wife and a son.” Catelyn paused then, willing herself to continue without venom. “ _Two_ sons.” She drew a quick breath and pressed on. “Tell him you will miss him, to be sure, but do not lay guilt at his feet for making an honorable decision that was his to make. He is a man grown, after all, and the Starks have ever been friends to the Watch.”

“I know,” he agreed bleakly. “But still I do not want him to leave.” Catelyn pressed a kiss into his temple.

“I am sorry,” she said simply. He clung to her a little longer in the dark, and she held tightly in return until his even breathing let her know that, whatever troubles still weighed upon him, sleep had finally found her husband.

Though Ned was gone by the time Catelyn woke the next morning, she still felt warmed by the memory of him curled against her, speaking to her frankly and taking comfort in her as she had always hoped her one-day husband would do. She _had_ been lonely without him, and it was pleasing to realize that he had been lonely for her, too – even if only that he had wanted someone to hold and talk when he could not sleep. And she did feel for him. She missed Lysa and Edmure badly, after all, and they both lived, were safe in their respective homes. She could only imagine what Ned was going through, and the idea that he’d been going through it alone tore at the tender parts of her heart. As she began to dress, Catelyn resolved to speak with her goodbrother when they broke their fast. Benjen usually rose later than Ned, so she ought to be able to find him on his own.

In the end finding Benjen proved not difficult at all, for when Catelyn went to Robb’s room to retrieve her small son, she found the little boy laughing gleefully in his Uncle Ben’s arms.

“My lady,” he greeted her, turning at the sound of her entrance. “Forgive me, but I heard through the door that Robb was awake, and I…”

“You wanted to spend some time with him before you go away,” she finished with a sad smile. “There is no need to ask forgiveness, Benjen. Robb is your nephew – and he adores attention from anyone who cares to give it.”

“Ned told you.” Unsurprisingly, Benjen ignored the lighthearted afterthought and cut straight to the point.

“I am his wife,” Catelyn said softly.

“Is he very angry with me, Cat?”

“No, not at all. He is just…very sad. You are his last sibling, you know. And except for Robb, the only other born Stark in Winterfell.” She sighed ruefully. “And including Robb, the only other Stark who looks it in Winterfell.” Catelyn knew she was deliberately excluding Jon Snow, and she appreciated it endlessly when her goodbrother did not mention that point.

“I’ll miss him, too,” was all Benjen said. “But, Cat – I don’t want a wife. I don’t want children. And as much as I love my brother and goodsister and nephew, I do not want to live in Winterfell as Uncle Benjen. I want to be my own man, to serve the realm and serve the North.”

“I know that,” she agreed. “And Ned knows it, too, and make no mistake, he is proud of you. But I think that it would mean the world to him to hear that you will miss him. That you are proud to be his brother as he is to be yours.” Benjen nodded thoughtfully at her words.

“Perhaps you are right,” he said. “Ned always was the most serious of the bunch of us. I blame Lord Arryn – no disrespect meant to your sister, of course.”

“Oh, I am sure Lysa would agree with you,” Catelyn replied with a grin. “Though I am not sure if Jon can take all the blame, or credit. You have met King Robert, have you not?” Benjen laughed then, so hard that Robb started up again, waving his fat fists in the air.

“A fair point, sister,” he agreed. “Now, if it pleases you, I think it is high time we went down to eat.” Catelyn nodded, but as she reached for her baby Benjen paused again.

“You won’t let him get too lonely, will you, Cat?” he said, his voice suddenly grave and vulnerable. “I know you have been fighting lately, but he does respect you, and he cares for you very much. And, well, if it’s having a family that he misses…” He trailed off uncomfortably, but she caught his meaning.

“I’ll take care of him, Benjen,” she said softly. “I promise.”

When Ned came to her that night she could not have helped the way her eyes lit up at the sight of him, even had she wanted to, nor could she have dulled the joy and eagerness with which she took him into her arms and her bed. And though she could not have explained how, she knew that he was not coming solely because of the herbs she continued to slip half-heartedly into his food. The kisses he placed on her cheeks and neck, and the way he held her against him when they were through were, Catelyn knew, meant specifically for her, and the thought made her heart ache in a surprisingly pleasant way.

The arrival of Catelyn’s moonblood some weeks later was decidedly unwelcome, and not just because it reminded her that she was not with child. The passion and connection she had discovered with her husband was still so wonderful and so new that she hated the idea of having to turn him away, and yet the bleeding was so heavy she could not in good conscience do anything but. She was sure she would not be able to bear Ned’s disappointment, nor her own loneliness without him next to her. If only he did not come to her tonight…but of course he would. Catelyn was not positive that the herbs Maester Luwin had recommended were even the primary reason, rather than the lusts of youth or the tenderness that had been rekindled, the friendship mended between her and her husband, but he had come every night since he told her of Benjen’s plans, no matter how tired or busy he had been.

She was dreading the knock on her door, and yet it came just as surely, and Ned followed, coming over to where she sat and bending to kiss her.

“My lady,” he murmured in a way that made the formal words sound more personal than her own name.

“My lord,” she answered him, reaching a hand to stroke his carefully groomed beard. He closed his eyes at her touch and groaned a little.

“Catelyn,” he sighed. “I have been thinking about this moment all day.” The want in his voice sparked her guilt as nothing else ever had, and Catelyn pulled away abruptly and ducked her head.

“Tonight…is not the appropriate time,” she said, not wanting to look at him but doing so anyway and wanting to cry at the unhappiness she saw. The guilt from just a moment before had been fanned into a great flame and made her almost regret the way she’d manipulated her husband’s body.

“You are bleeding.” He tried so hard to keep his disappointment from his voice that she loved him for it – or at least, she respected and admired him, and liked him.

“Yes,” she admitted. “But you may stay, anyway, if you wish. I would enjoy talking to you.”

“As would I, my lady,” he said, but a desperate, uncertain look crossed his face at her words. She wanted to laugh at his transparency, knowing his concern, and then she wanted to laugh at the fact that she now found _Eddard Stark’s_ face transparent.

“I could do it, you know,” she told him.

“You could? …I mean, do what, my lady?” he hastily added. Catelyn did laugh then.

“Relieve your frustration for you, of course. I could do it if you showed me.”

“I would not ask that of you, Catelyn,” he said gruffly. She reached out and pressed the back of her hand against the front of his breeches in reply. His eyes slammed shut at the contact, so she did not move away and pressed a little harder at the solid warmth beneath his laces.

“You did not, but I offered. I do want to please you, Ned.” He said nothing in reply, but his breathing had grown audible, so Catelyn leaned in to kiss him first on the lips before trailing her lips over to his ear and then down to his neck, settling in the sensitive hollow she found there. She _did_ want to please him, she realized as she opened his shirt and moved her lips lower along his torso. And it was not simply because he was her husband and it was expected, or because she thought it would earn his kindness or esteem. She wanted to please him because she cared for him, because she wanted him to be happy and to be the cause of his happiness.

Ned’s breathing was ragged by now, and Catelyn smiled up at him, having dropped to her knees to unlace his breeches.

“Catelyn,” he said huskily, looking down at her through hooded eyes as she pushed his breeches and smallclothes down and drew his cock out.

“What would you like, my lord?” she asked sweetly. “Shall I put my mouth on you the way you do to me?” Ned closed his eyes a moment.

“Please,” he finally managed, and so, with another smile, she leaned in and ran her tongue over the tip of him. He moaned at her touch and she was eager, now, to give him everything she could.

“Tell me,” she said throatily. “Tell me what will please you.” Ned was panting as he watched her push her hair behind her ears and look up into his face, her lips brushing against his cock.

“In your mouth,” he breathed, a note of desperation in his voice. “Please, Catelyn.” She nodded, and her hair fell forward again to ghost over his taut belly when she fulfilled his request.

“Oh,” he said as she took him in her mouth. “ _Oh_.” Catelyn chuckled a little in the back of her throat and pushed forward, her lips sliding across his cock again and again even as her tongue moved over him, exploring. She clung to his thighs as she moved, her fingernails digging into his buttocks while his big hands ran through her long hair. As her confidence grew stronger she sucked her cheeks in around him and was rewarded with a long moan and a hand that ever so briefly held her head in place as if afraid she was about to stop. She sucked harder, moved a little faster to reassure him, and his grip relaxed again, an apology a groan on his lips. She would have told him it did not bother her, but it would have involved pulling her mouth away, and in that moment all she wanted was to keep at her goal to give him everything he could ever want, because…because – 

It was then that Catelyn Stark realized she had come truly to love her husband.

The earlier low groans had been replaced by the soft, helpless mews that Ned always made when he was close to finishing, and she redoubled her efforts to bring him to his peak. She moved her mouth faster over him and fixed her tongue against the spot on the underside that brought his strongest reaction when suddenly he put his hand to her shoulder, effectively stopping her motion, and gently pushed her away.

“What is wrong?” she asked, bewildered. Ned paused a moment, breathing hard.

“I…I would spare you…” he gasped, and though he didn’t quite finish the thought she caught his intent.

“No,” she said clearly. “Let me.” She lowered her lips to him again, taking him in and sucking firmly, and suddenly he was crying out in pleasure and relief as his release filled her mouth. The taste, she found, was not nearly as bad as she’d expected, and she let him linger a moment before drawing away and reaching for a glass of wine to clear the remnants from her mouth.

Ned continued to stand before her, quite still, as if he weren’t quite sure of what had just happened. Catelyn found his confusion rather funny and rose to kiss him on the cheek.

“Are you feeling more comfortable, my lord?” she asked, her blue eyes dancing. He said nothing but wound his arm around her waist and pulled her into a long kiss.

“That was…I cannot even describe…” Ned shook his head. “It was wonderful, Catelyn.”

“I am glad to hear it,” she said warmly, her arms coming around his middle in response and her head coming to rest against his shoulder. She wanted so badly, then, to tell him how she felt, but the words died on her lips each time that she tried, so she settled for pressing soft kisses into his neck.

“I had not expected that from you,” he told her quietly, his voice going pensive.

“Why not, my lord?” Catelyn asked idly as she clung to him and enjoyed the feel of his body warm against hers.

“Because it is more than duty asks of you,” Ned answered, and already Catelyn could hear sadness creeping in. “I did not think it would be something you would want to give, not to as poor a husband as me.” At that she was so surprised that she couldn’t help pulling away from his arms to look at her husband full on.

“Eddard Stark, are you really so oblivious that you have not noticed how much I have enjoyed the past few weeks? Not just lying with you, but talking to you? Being near to you? Watching you play with the son we share? However would you decide that you make a poor husband whom your wife would not want to please?”

“But that is your way. You want to be happy, Catelyn, and so you are. You want children, and a happy home, and the respect of the people, so you lie with me and talk to me and treat the household with kindness. And you learn to like it. But that does not mean that you…” He looked at her for a long moment, and his gaze was serious.

“You have always been more than I deserved, my lady, and I know that. And yet you have made me the kind of wife I scarce dreamed of as a lad. And I – and sometimes I wish – it is only that…” Catelyn pressed a finger to his lips to silence him then, suddenly knowing what he wanted to say and what he needed her to say.

“I love you, Ned,” she said simply. His eyes widened in response, and she saw him blink and swallow a few times before he spoke.

“And I love you,” was his quiet reply. Catelyn smiled brightly then and stepped towards him, into him, and he pulled her against him and enveloped her in his arms.


End file.
